CERT meeting on federal government response to Gulf oil spill

The Westside Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) of the Los Angeles City Fire Department will host a freepresentation featuring representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18 at the training facility at the rear of Fire Station 5, 8900 S. Emerson Ave., Westchester.

The NOAA representatives plan to discuss the agency’s response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico from April through September 2010.

Jerry Hornof, NOAA division director of operations for management and information at the Southwest Regional office, will describe the agency’s structure, the movement of responders into the area after the rig explosion and spill, and the logistics of the effort.

Matt Dorsey, a full-time contract Graphic Information Systems (GIS) specialist for NOAA, will describe his deployments to the Gulf during the disaster, and the use of GIS to support the NOAA response.

“While this presentation addresses an out-of-state catastrophe, we hope the audience will learn more about NOAA’s capabilities and potential role in various disaster scenarios that could impact us in Southern California,” said Carl Ginsberg, one of the volunteer CERT Battalion Coordinators for LAFD Battalion 4.

The meeting is sponsored by CERT teams from West Los Angeles, representing CERT volunteers in LAFD Battalions 4,9, and 18.

CERT is one of several volunteer organizations that assist LAFD. Members are trained in emergency first aid and other disaster response skills including fighting small fires, light search and rescue, and triage. CERT classes are free and open to all. They are offered year-round at locations throughout the city.